[A2k] Jamie Boyle: We Must Stop Google Books Because It Will Work!!!

Tue Sep 8 20:53:01 2009

Manon and all,

  Let's get realistic here.  Anyone that believes that at any time Google w=
as
concerned with access to books by anyone that did not make a few $$ for
them is living in a fantasy world.

  Certainly I believe this "Deal" can be structured in such a manner where
everyone that wants access to these books that could otherwise not afford
them or have access to same, can be accomplished.  But the current
"Deal" isn't structured as such, and is grossly slanted in the favor of Goo=
gle
profiting of the disadvantage or others for their own financial gain.  This=
 is
what needs adjusting in the current "Deal".

-----Original Message-----
>From: Manon Ress <manon.ress@keionline.org>
>Sent: Sep 8, 2009 5:17 PM
>To: a2k discuss list <a2k@lists.essential.org>
>Subject: [A2k] Jamie Boyle:  We Must Stop Google Books Because It Will Wor=
k!!!
>
>http://www.thepublicdomain.org/2009/09/08/we-must-stop-google-books-becaus=
e-it-will-work/
>
>We Must Stop Google Books Because It Will Work!!!
>
>There are good reasons to worry about the Google Book Search
>Settlement, as I explained at length here.  But of all of the reasons
>to oppose it, this utterly surreal statement is my favourite.
>
>European officials fear that if the Google project goes ahead in the
>US, a yawning transatlantic gap will open up in education and research.
>
>=E2=80=9COh my God!  The Americans are about to create a private workaroun=
d of
>the enormous mess that we regulators have made of national copyright
>policy!  They will fix the unholy legal screwups that leave most of
>20th century culture books unavailable, yet still under copyright!
>They will gain access to their cultural heritage =E2=80=94 giving them a h=
uge
>competitive advantage in education.  This MUST BE STOPPED!!  No one
>can be allowed to fix this for any other country because then we would
>be left alone stewing in our own intellectual property stupidity!  We
>must forbid their progress in order to protect our ignorance.
>
>But wait, there=E2=80=99s more. If anyone does do it, it must be the state=
!
>(Which so far has failed completely to provide legal access to orphan
>works or commercially unavailable works, works that are unavailable
>because of=E2=80=A6 wait for it, wait for it, the state locking up our
>cultural heritage unnecessarily)
>
>Google maintains it is engaged in the huge project for the public
>good.  Others say such public good should be left to the public sphere.
>
>[Actually, Google says it is doing it to make money, but that it will
>produce an enormous public good, something that makes the company very
>happy.]  But look at the phrase in bold.  Only the state may fix the
>problems the state has created.  And if Europe can=E2=80=99t fix those
>problems for itself, everyone else should be forbidden from doing so
>as well. QED.  Now, to the credit of the EU, the article suggests that
>the EU will pursue this not only by trying to ban what Google wants to
>do, something France and Germany have already attempted, but by
>=E2=80=9Ccopyright reform and =E2=80=9Cpublic-private partnerships as a me=
ans to boost
>digitisation of books.=E2=80=9D  Great.  But how about treating the Google
>Books project as a demonstration of an entirely unnecessary problem
>created by states =E2=80=94 particularly including European and American
>copyright policy makers.  If it weren=E2=80=99t for the ridiculous copyrig=
ht
>extensions, abolition of formalities and ending of renewable terms,
>we wouldn=E2=80=99t have the problem of the 20th century black hole.  Now =
a
>company manages to craft a settlement that will work around this,
>restoring, at least for some citizens of the world, access to a
>heritage that they never should have lost =E2=80=94 and to do so in a way =
that
>pays authors and publishers where they can be found.  Europe=E2=80=99s
>answer?  This must be forbidden!  Stop the settlement!  Make sure no
>European books get freed!  Make European participation only on an =E2=80=
=9Copt
>in=E2=80=9D basis,  so NO orphan works =E2=80=94 by definition =E2=80=94 c=
an be included,
>since they have no one to opt in for them.  Complain that a private
>company is involved!!   Prevent this settlement now to stop the US
>getting a lead, and maybe one day we=E2=80=99ll fix the problems that we t=
he
>regulators created in the first place!  (Yeah, right.)
>
>Brilliant.  You couldn=E2=80=99t make this stuff up.
>
>http://twitter.com/thepublicdomain
>
>
>**************************************************************************=
*
>Manon Ress
>manon.ress@keionline.org
>Knowledge Ecology International
>1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
>Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Fax: +1.202.332.2673
>
>
>
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>A2k mailing list
>A2k@lists.essential.org
>http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/a2k

Regards,

Jeffrey A. Williams
Spokesman for INEGroup LLA. - (Over 294k members/stakeholders strong!)
"Obedience of the law is the greatest freedom" -
   Abraham Lincoln

"Credit should go with the performance of duty and not with what is very
often the accident of glory" - Theodore Roosevelt

"If the probability be called P; the injury, L; and the burden, B; liabilit=
y
depends upon whether B is less than L multiplied by
P: i.e., whether B is less than PL."
United States v. Carroll Towing  (159 F.2d 169 [2d Cir. 1947]
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
Updated 1/26/04
CSO/DIR. Internet Network Eng. SR. Eng. Network data security IDNS. div. of
Information Network Eng.  INEG. INC.
ABA member in good standing member ID 01257402 E-Mail jwkckid1@ix.netcom.co=
m
Phone: 214-244-4827